Just not telling the truth
by Jalf
Summary: Remus Lupin. Aged Twelve. Gryffindor. Three worried friends. A big lie... Or is it? This are Remus's thoughts about it...Characters: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew.


**Just not telling the truth…**

Sunlight found his way through the curtains and made the boysdormitory know that a new day had started. Three of the four boys were already up and were having breakfast in The Great Hall.  
Remus Lupin looked into the mirror. He saw a reflection of a twelve year old boy, with light-brown hanging in front of his yellowish eyes. The reflection looked paler then usual, and somehow ill-ish. It had been a horrible and extremely painful night… Damned moon…

Remus turned around and stared at the door. He know that when he would go through that door, questions would be asked. Questions he didn't want to answer, questions he wasn't waiting for.

James, Peter and Sirius started to notice his monthly disappearing half way their first year. Every time he came back from the Shack, they saw his arms and hands covered in bandages. The first few times Remus told them he tripped, fell of the stair, got scratched by some animal or accidentally cut himself while making a sandwich. His friends seem to take it for real. At least, that was what Remus thought.

_Siriuspulled him awayfrom the rest of the crowd that was watching the Quidditch-game.  
"Okay, Remus." He said, "Who did this?" He pointed at the bandages that covered Remus's right wrist.  
"No-one." Remus said, much too quickly to make it look like a natural reaction.  
"Stop lying, Remus." Sirius said darkly, "There's something wrong going on at your home."  
"There's nothing wrong, Sirius."  
"Then what's with the wrist?"  
"I fell out of my bed and hurt it, that's what I told you before."  
"And the time before that you cut yourself, and the time before that you hurt your hand with some glass. I know the story." Sirius sighed. "Listen. I know what it's like to have troubles at home."  
Remus forced himself not to panic. "I don't have troubles at home. There's nothing going on, absolutely nothing."  
"Every time you go home, you come back covered in bandages."  
Remus took a step back. What was Sirius thinking? His parents where nice people and they wouldn't dare of even thinking about hurting their son.  
Remus felt how tears stared to well up in his eyes. He swallowed and said: "My parents are not abusing or neglecting me, if that's what you're thinking."  
Sirius stared at Remus for a few seconds and then shook his head. "Why are you lying, Remus?"  
"I am not lying," Remus whispered.  
He turned around, and walked away._

They've been thinking for a long time he was being abused. It didn't matter how many times Remus told them the conditions at home were perfectly normal, they refused to believe him.

Remus limped over to his trunk and searched between his clothes. He got out a shirt that had slightly longer sleeves then the rest. They probably wouldn't notice the bandages and the scratches on his arm, if he would be wearing that. He put it on, sat down on his bed, and start to pack his schoolbag for today. If only he could do something about that terrible limp.

_"Peter, just search his trunk!"  
"But what am I looking for, James?"  
"Knifes, scissors, just anything you can cut yourself with!"  
"But, James –"  
"Just search, will ya! We're trying to help Remus." _

Remus peaked inside the second year boys dormitory. He was surprised with what he saw. Peter was sitting in front of Remus's trunk and seemed to be searching it. James and Sirius were standing behind him and were both staring at the opened trunk.

"But why am I searching Remus's stuff?"  
"Because," Remus heard Sirius say, "if Remus tells us those marks aren't made by any of his relatives, they could been made by himself."  
"WHAT?" Peter said a bit too loud, "You mean he's cutting himself!"  
"D'oh." Remus heard James say, "Can you think of another way he would get those marks?"  
"No, but..."  
"Well, Go on. Search the trunk."

Peter almost disappeared when he started looking trough Remus's trunk.  
"Well." James said, "Do you see anything?"  
Peter mumbled something Remus couldn't hear, but it seemed like he couldn't find what Sirius and James were looking for.

Remus turned around. This was ridiculous, his friends were searching his belongings. They were thinking he was cutting himself, and now they were searching for evidence. He knew why they were doing it… They were worried about him, they care about him. Still, it wasn't right. He wasn't cutting himself, but why wasn't he telling them? Was he scared? Scared, his friends would think he was lying again?

"I'm not lying…" He whispered and he walked back to the common-room. He sat down in a big stair and stared into the fire, "I'm not…"

Remus got up from the bed. He sighed and picked up his schoolbag. He didn't want to go to The Great Hall. He didn't want to get al those questions. He limped through-wards the door and laid his hand on the handle. It was time to do something he was really good at. It was time to lie again… No, he wouldn't lie… He would just not be telling the truth… Just like he always did…


End file.
